It's hard to appreciate how good and innovative this game really is until you go and play another online FPS. Before reading my review understand that this is the first Modern Warfare game I played. My previous online FPS experience comes from Unreal Tournament, Quake 3 and the Halo series.

I'm not a huge fan of single player games in general, but I have to say I have quite enjoyed theIt's hard to appreciate how good and innovative this game really is until you go and play another online FPS. Before reading my review understand that this is the first Modern Warfare game I played. My previous online FPS experience comes from Unreal Tournament, Quake 3 and the Halo series.

I'm not a huge fan of single player games in general, but I have to say I have quite enjoyed the campaign so far. It does a very good job of setting the scene on drawing you in, and has a fair bit of variation which you really need in these sort of games.

The Innovations I spoke come in the multiplayer mode, and there are 2 that stand out, 2 that I believe are as important to the genre as Goldeneye made the analogue stick. The 1st is the instant replay of when you're killed. It's so frustrating in FPS games when you just seem to die for an unknown reason and sometimes you'll just assume it's a glitch or your own team killed you. Aside from adding a good tactical advantage of knowing where you were killed from, it also adds to piece of mind. The 2nd innovation the the levelling up system. In previous games I've played in Halo you just get a higher rank and get to change the look of your character, but in BlackOps (and I'd assume the rest of the series) you get to buy new weapons and perks for your character as well, adding a whole new reason to keep playing online. I'm sure this will be developed even further by future FPS developers.

A few annoyances of the game are that if you're playing on a small tv or in splitscreen mode it can be very hard to see people, and also the opposition look similar to yourself so you often just walk past someone on the same team as you before turning round and knifing wildly after realising who they also. Also the killstreak part of the game is a brilliant addition, but it does tend to make the good people great, and the bad people worse. Defeating someone who is better than you is hard enough when they don't have a helicopter at their disposal.…Expand

I now have gotten around to my feelings on this game, after a year and a third of playing it. At first, I thought this game was crap, with a very inconsistent hitmark system and very ridiculous kills. Now, however, after playing MW3, I think that both myself and a lot of other players are Back In Black. The is confusing at first, as it is a series of flashbacks. After playing it a fewI now have gotten around to my feelings on this game, after a year and a third of playing it. At first, I thought this game was crap, with a very inconsistent hitmark system and very ridiculous kills. Now, however, after playing MW3, I think that both myself and a lot of other players are Back In Black. The is confusing at first, as it is a series of flashbacks. After playing it a few times, though, I get the gist of it, although it still sucks. Zombies is not my cup of tea unless I'm with friends, as it requires a lot of communication and understanding of how to survive in the maps to actually get far and have fun, until you eventually start just talking 'bout random stuff because you're just hoarding zombies until they overwhelm you. However, Treyarch took the biggest risk in Multiplayer, with a complete overhaul of the overall system. You can buy all perks after level 4, using money you get as a tenth of your xp each game. You also use this money to buy guns you have unlocked, and like perks, all equipment, lethals, and tacticals are unlocked once you create a class. The maps give you more variety than MW2 or MW3, with an Array of different maps that have been tailored to one gun type or another. The killstreaks are much harder to get, which I love, so that you're not bombed by YET ANOTHER PREDATOR! The guns also take ever so slightly longer to kill with than the other games, which increases you're chances of living. Also, the perks are much more balanced, and Tomahawks are amazing. Overall, a great game for the money.…Expand

Campaign: Short but its know for some people!! a little 6 hours and played this gam out!!!
But this is perfect for trophy hunters short campaign with lots of trophies!!!!!!!!
Zombies: just as the WAW version is pro , but now with nicer gfx cooler weapons and much more makes it more awesome!!!!
Warning:(its very addictBlack ops is a perfect mix with succesful content from previous COD.

Campaign: Short but its know for some people!! a little 6 hours and played this gam out!!!But this is perfect for trophy hunters short campaign with lots of trophies!!!!!!!!

Zombies: just as the WAW version is pro , but now with nicer gfx cooler weapons and much more makes it more awesome!!!!Warning:(its very addict able)

Multiplayer: is like COD MW2 its awesome but it seems to be copied!!!! everything looks just as MW2…Expand

The campaign is great. The storyline setting in the cold war is awesome and i can't say anymore because i don't wan't to be a spoiler. the multiplayer is rock solid and the contracts system is great. Nothing wrong with this one...

Call Of Duty the black ops series are the best of CoD,it has zombie mode that is much like a horror survival and the campaign it's just great,the online is a big hit and addicting as hell i can tell that much.

I love this game. It is one of my favourite cods and also one of my favourite fps games. This game has 3 major parts which i am going to talk and rate so please enjoy.

Campaign: 9/10. The campaign was flawless with great level design,great animations and a fantastic storyline with one of the best plot twists i have ever seen in a game. I found it to be super addicting and somewhatI love this game. It is one of my favourite cods and also one of my favourite fps games. This game has 3 major parts which i am going to talk and rate so please enjoy.

Campaign: 9/10. The campaign was flawless with great level design,great animations and a fantastic storyline with one of the best plot twists i have ever seen in a game. I found it to be super addicting and somewhat emotional.

Multiplayer: 7.5/10. The multiplayer was really fun to play just like any other cod but it probably has the worst connection in the series, and horrible hit detection (There have been so many times where i have been killed behind walls). If it wasnt for these realy big problems the multiplayer would be one of the best.

Zombies co/op: 10/10. Its just perfect that is all i have to say.

if you are a shooter fan or a cod fan buy this game,im telling you.…Expand

Story:
I actually liked this story more than the MW story. It had mystery, drama, and a surprise twist near the ending that I never saw coming. The voice acting and dialogues were great. Treyarch even went far enough to hire Hollywood talents to do to voicing rolls. 9/10
Gameplay:
Standard Call of Duty gameplay. You shoot guys, go silent, hop into turrets and vehicles, etc. To beStory:
I actually liked this story more than the MW story. It had mystery, drama, and a surprise twist near the ending that I never saw coming. The voice acting and dialogues were great. Treyarch even went far enough to hire Hollywood talents to do to voicing rolls. 9/10

Gameplay:
Standard Call of Duty gameplay. You shoot guys, go silent, hop into turrets and vehicles, etc. To be honest, I played the single player for the story, but Treyarch did add a new feature the community called the 'Dolphin Dive'. The Dive is still a great hit to this day. 7/10

Graphics:
Visuals are nothing new, the facial models are average, and the world design is above average. 6/10

Sound:
Good soundtrack, gun sounds are ok, and sound effects are average 7/10

Multiplayer:
This multiplayer is more balanced than MW2 ever was (with the exception of the Famas and AK74u).The level cap isn't too high (level 50), Treyarch added theatre mode (like Halo), combat training (practice against bots), and wager matches (gamble C.O.D points). One innovation in Multiplayer were C.O.D points which were in-game money used to buy guns, emblems, attachments, camos, etc. I liked C.O.D points way more than the weapon levels we got now. Treyarch even improved the emblem system by letting us customize our own emblem, which was extremely fun to do. Zombies made a return from World at War, and Treyarch even improved that as well with new guns, perks and all the maps were greatly designed (including DLC maps). I liked these maps more than the Black Ops 2 ones. 10/10

Verdict:
Call of Duty Black Ops in my opinion is the best C.O.D to have come out since C.O.D 4. Engaging single player story, balanced multiplayer, and fun zombies makes for a complete package. Verdict: 9/10…Expand

The only CoD game I've really liked. The campaign is clever, with twists and characters you begin to like. Multiplayer is very functional while still remaining fun. Zombies mode is... Probably the most fun you can have with a controller. Treyarch should be applauded.

black ops is one of the best cod game in my opinion but it has some bugs and minor problems the zombie mode has 6+ maps and the old ones from world at war Black ops is an unforgettable fps game with minor problems

Black Ops entered with fresh new ideas and came out fulfilling those ideas. The multiplayer was as good as ever and felt more than a usual COD experience. Zombie went on with more maps and more attracting ideas, and the campaign may be the best in the series. The Graphics lack behind though for the standard shooter and look sloppy. Overall Treyarch made a fresh new start and made a fantastic FPS.

I wanted to really give this game a 9 because the lag and some unfairness but every call of duty game has been like that so I'm giving it a 10. This is that game for me that you remember in 10-15 years as that great times game... I'm only referring to multiplayer mind coz I don't play any campaigns. Rather than writing a book I'm just going to sum it up as the best cod in the series,I wanted to really give this game a 9 because the lag and some unfairness but every call of duty game has been like that so I'm giving it a 10. This is that game for me that you remember in 10-15 years as that great times game... I'm only referring to multiplayer mind coz I don't play any campaigns. Rather than writing a book I'm just going to sum it up as the best cod in the series, slightly slower paced a better feel to shooting and realism, graphics are the best in the cod series feels like a completely different engine to any other cod game but still keeping that similarity. Great smaller maps in majority. Score per min leaderboards to tackle campers, honestly I could go on and on but I'll leave it as that. Please make a new cod like this again.... black ops 2, mw3 and ghosts are all major dissapointments…Expand

Best call of duty game EVER. Too bad that ghosts and advanced warfare have killed this series. Advanced Warfare is soooo bad that I actually took the game back in two weeks, and I have played regularly since MW2. I even do gamebattles...or did...since bo2. The long time question of what game will be the cod killer has been answered. Advanced Warfare is the cod killer

Call of Duty: Black Ops still represents one hell of a hefty package. It's bursting with hundreds of hours of entertainment that caters to every conceivable configuration of gamer out there, be they an adversarial gamer, a co-op connoisseur or a staunch offline soloist. [January 2011 p60]

There are more highlights in the first two missions of Black Ops, then in Medal of Honor. The requirements of Treyarch seemed to be better, than in the past few years. They made an interesting setting. In addition, there's a nice zombie mode and an overwhelming multiplayer. No doubt, this is Treyarchs best Call of Duty ever!